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An employee of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) has been convicted for soliciting and receiving about P250,000 in exchange for a favor, the Office of the Ombudsman said.
In a statement released on Friday, the Ombudsman said Acting Presiding Judge Lyn Cha of the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 38 found Florzerfida Asuncion, LRA administrative aide, guilty of violating Section 7(d) of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
The Ombudsman said the evidence presented before the court showed that in 2006, Asuncion demanded P250,000 from Marilou Galenzoga, in exchange for research work on a parcel of property Galenzoga was claiming.
It added that Asuncion failed to deliver the results of her research even after the deadline had lapsed.
However, when requested to refund the money, Asuncion refused to do so, the Ombudsman said.
Instead, it said she promised to "return the money of complainant when she recovers all the money from an alleged group of people who shared in the said money."
Section 7(d) of RA 6713 states that "public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any persons in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office." — Amanda Fernandez/JDS, GMA News.
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